You Reap What You Sow
by Kiddo
Summary: Lucas is waiting for a computerchip. 4 Chapter Story, Season 1, FINISHED
1. Chapter 1

YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW

Chapter 1

By Kiddo

Disclaimer:

I have no rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV," and I am not making any money with this story.

This story is a translation of my German story "Man erntet was man sät," which I wrote for Samusa for her birthday.

* * *

„Erinnere was sie sagten: Man erntet was man sät!" -"Man erntet was man sät" by Xavier Naidoo

"Remeber what they said: You reap what you sow!"  
-"You reap what you sow" by Xavier Naidoo

* * *

„Sieh es als Prüfung und ernte deine Saat." -"Man erntet was man sät" by Xavier Naidoo

"See it as a exam and reap your sow." -"You reap what you sow" by Xavier Naidoo

* * *

Lucas Wolenczak bounced up and down on his toes restlessly and fixed his eyes on the seaQuest's docking bay. The blond teenager pulled back the sleeve of his turtelneck, over which he wore his usual baseball shirt, and looked at his watch for what seemed like the 100th time. What was taking the shuttle so long? It should have been there 4 minutes ago! So much for navy punctuality.

About two minutes later, he heard the familiar sound of a shuttle docking and let out a sigh of relief. Maybe this time he would be lucky and what he was waiting for would be on board.

It was another two minutes before the hatch of the shuttle opened and Seaman Peterson and Seaman Wolf stepped out. They were each carrying a large box.

The young computer genius darted towards Peterson, who was carrying the box with letters and packages for the crew. Lucas looked anxiously at the seaman. "Well?" His voice was practically dripping with hope.

But to the teenager's disappointment, Mike Peterson shook his head. "I'm sorry, Lucas, nothing there for you again. I even double-checked everything on the trip back, but there's nothing for a Wolenczak."

The blond teenager made a face. "That can't be! The package should have been here a week ago at least!"

"If you don't believe me you can check it out for yourself," Mike said, a little bit insulted.

Lucas shook his head. "Oh no, I didn't mean it that way. If you say that there is nothing there for me then it's true."

Seaman Peterson nodded, somewhat molified. "By the way, what is so important that it's had you waiting for us after every trip to the main land for the last two weeks?"

The young man sighed. "Three weeks ago, I ordered a computer chip; it's the newest and best that you can buy at the moment. With this chip, my computer will be half a second faster than before. The company that sells it told me that it would take from seven to 14 days for them to send the chip to me. And that was a while ago."

Peterson nodded in understanding but had to stifle the urge to laugh out loud. The computer junkie in Lucas was really coming out. What could be so special about a chip that could make a computer half a second faster? But maybe that was really a lot for a computer freak.

Seaman Wolf, who carried another box out of the shuttle, heard the teenager's last remark. Carefully, he put the box down on the ground. "Maybe they sent you the chip even faster than that; 16 days ago, Mars and Evans made the trip to shore for us because we had to take care of something else. You could ask one of them if there was a package for you. Maybe they just forgot to give it to you."

Lucas nodded, but he really didn't believe that Mars or Evans would forget a thing like that. "Okay, thanks, I'll ask one of them."

"Good luck, Lucas. I'm sure that your package will be here with our next shipment at the latest." Peterson felt real pity as he watched the boy walk away with sagging shoulders.

* * *

Lucas was just on his way to see Mars, a member of Chief Crocker' s security team, when he ran into Seaman Nick Evans. "Hi. Seaman Wolf told me that you and Mars made the shuttle run to the mainland for him and Peterson 16 days ago."

Evans nodded. "Yes, Wolf and Peterson had something else to do, so we made the run. Why do you ask? Is something wrong?"

The teen stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "No, everything is okay. It's just that I've been waiting for a special package for quite some time. Wolf said that I could ask you about it, that maybe it was in the shuttle when you made the trip."

Nick thought about it for a moment, and then his face lit up. "You know, there was something for you; it was a very thin package."

Lucas didn't know if he should be happy or not. After all, there had to be a reason why he hadn't been using the chip for the last 16 days. "And where is the package now?"

"I gave it to Krieg. He told me that he was going to visit you and that he would give it to you. He didn't give it to you?"

The blond teen shook his head. "Obviously not." Oh, Ben was in so much trouble!

"I'm really sorry about that Lucas. I was was sure he would give it you. Otherwise, I would have never given it to him," said the Seaman apologetically.

"It's no problem, you couldn't have known." Lucas turned around determinedly and went in the other direction. But after a few steps, he turned around briefly. "Oh, and thanks for the info."

Seaman Nick Evans watched as their youngest crew member left. Evans didn't want to be in Lt. Krieg's shoes; an outraged and furious teenager was never a good thing. He almost felt pity for the supply officer. Almost.

* * *

Without even knocking, Lucas opened the door to Krieg's cabin and looked at him angrily.

Upon hearing the door open, Ben stuffed something into his wardrobe as fast as he could so that nobody could see it. When the moral officer realized that it was just Lucas, he let out a breath of relief. But when he saw the look on the boy's face, he wasn't sure that he shouldn't wish for it to be someone else.

The blond teen closed the door loudly. "Where is it, Ben?"

Lt. Krieg put on a face of pure innocense. "Where is what? You should be a little bit more specific, not everyone is a genius like you."

The look on Lucas's face wasn't getting any friendlier. In fact, it was just the opposite. The fun stopped when it came to his computer. "I'm not up for one of your stupid games, and I don't care about the illegal stuff you just shoved in your wardrobe. I want my package now!"

"Oh that."

"Yes that!" The teen's blue eyes were sparkling furiously.

Krieg slowly got the feeling that maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to hide the package from his friend. But he _had_ done it. It had seemed like a good idea and had brought some variety to their boring, every day life.

After all, it had been quite funny to see how anxious Lucas had gotten while waiting longingly for the chip. "Calm down, kiddo, it was just a little joke." Uh oh... he shouldn't have said that.

If it was even possible, Lucas gave the lieutenant a more withering look than before.The teenager reached his hand out. "If I'm not holding the package in my hand in 15 seconds, I'll tell the captain that you have something illegal going on."

Ben was stunned at the teen's tone of voice. "You wouldn't..." A second look at the young man made him think again. "Okay, you would..."

Lucas just looked at his watch. "9...8..."

"Okay, okay, don't panic." The moral officer walked over to a small dresser and pulled the first drawer open. After a bit of rummaging, he found what he was looking for and ran over to the boy.

"2...1..."

Krieg put his hand out. "Here, take it. You really shouldn't take everything so seriously, you know. After all, you only live once and should try to laugh at as much as you can!"

Lucas took the package and opened the door, but before he left the cabin, he turned around. "You know, I will get my revenge. You will not know when, you will not know where, and you will not know how, but I will get you when you least expect it. And until that time, you will live in constant fear of when it will happen. Everything that goes wrong will make you wonder because you won't know if it has something to do with my revenge." The door slammed shut.

Lt. Krieg was speechless for a moment. No, Lucas couldn't mean that seriously. But on the other hand, he had never seen the teen so angry before. Finally, Ben started to laugh out loud. A very good actor had been lost in the computer genius. Lucas's last remarks sounded like something out of a mafia movie. No, the boy would never get revenge.

On the other side of the door, Lucas heard the laughing. He shook his head in disbelief. Ben would get the surprise of his life.

* * *

To Be Continuied…..

Written Summer 2004 – Translated Summer 2005


	2. Chapter 2

YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW

Chapter 2

By Kiddo

Disclaimer:

I have no rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV," and I am not making any money with this story.

A spezial „Thank You" goes to my wonderfull beta-reader Jackie and to Sara, KatKnits00, Roses, Blue Eyed Dragon Girl and JOXER for the Reviews.

Sara: Thanks fort he long review! You will read about the revenge in this chapter.

KatKnits00: Thanks! Read and see!

Roses: Thanks for your kind words!

Blue Eyed Dragon Girl: Thanks! Nice to hear that I have your attention, I hope I can keep it also with this chapter.

JOXER: Thanks! It's nice to hear from you again. I haven't heard from you a long time. It's a good question how I come up with those ideas, most of the time they just pop in my head and I have know idea where that just came from, but sometimes I get them by reading a book, or watching a movie, or listing to music, or from what I learned at school, or what happend to me … I take that with beaing mean as a complement

Reviews and feedback is always welcome.

* * *

One month later: 

Lt. Benjamin Krieg stepped into his cabin. Over his shoulder hung the towel he would use to dry his wet hair. He just had showered, and his shift would start in 15 minutes.

Ben grabbed his comb, which lay in front of the mirror, and stopped abruptly. He looked speechlessly at his reflection in the mirror. It couldn't be true!

At least now he could understand all the strange looks he had gotten on the way from the showers to his cabin.

Krieg ran a hand through his once-black hair, which was now bleached blond. Unfortunately, it wasn't very even; it was stained in spots. The whole thing looked just...terrible.

The supply officer shook his head in disbelief. Lucas had really gotten him and in spite of the fact that he had been so careful for the last month. But who would have thought that the teenager would mix such an extreme hair color with his shampoo?

Normally when you wanted to color your hair, you had to put the color on it and wait for a while. But his hair had turned blond just by washing it. He suspected that Lucas had mixed the color himself; therefore, it was unusually strong.

Very slowly, a smile lit up Ben's face, and he had to nod appreciatively. Lucas had really pulled it off. He nearly felt proud of the boy. Nearly.

But now, he really had a problem. His shift on the bridge would start in seven minutes, and he really didn't want to go there looking like this...

* * *

Three weeks later: 

After the hair color incident, the good relationship between Ben and Lucas had been repaired, and they could both laugh about the incident with the computer chip and the shampoo. Lt. Krieg's hair was back to his old color, but it had taken almost two weeks.

Ben had immediately ordered dark hair color to re-color it, but Lucas had hacked into the order list and erased it. And before the lieutenant had realized it, nine days had gone by. But to his great luck, Ben had been able to make a trip to the mainland two days later and went to a stylist who changed his hair back to its original color.

Miguel Ortiz, Tim O'Neill, Benjamin Krieg, and Lucas Wolenczak were sitting around a table in the mess eating a lunch of potatoes, salad, and something they couldn't identify.

Seaman Mike Peterson went by their table, stopped directly next to Lucas, and held a white envelope out. "This came for you with the post today."

The blond teenager put his fork down and took the envelope; he was surprised. "Thanks."

Lt. Krieg looked questioningly at Peterson. "Hey, I just came by to get a few of the things I ordered! You could have given me the letter for Lucas instead of looking for him yourself."

Peterson shook his head emphatically. "Forget it, Ben. You will never deliver a letter for Lucas or anybody else again. It's too big a risk!"

The moral officer rolled his eyes in annoyance. "That was just one time. You can't hold that against me forever."

"Nope, too risky. Who knows! The next time that happens, whoever the letter is meant for might not take the revenge on you but on the person who gave you the letter. I can tell you, I'm not intersted in a new hair color!" And with that, Peterson left the table.

Tim, Miguel, and Lucas were fighting to keep serious expressions on their faces and not start laughing at Ben's shocked face. Ortiz was the first to lose the battle and start laughing. A few seconds later, Lucas and the communications officer joined him.

Krieg made a sour face. "Ha ha, really funny guys, really funny."

The computer genius was the first to get himself under control again and shifted his attention to the envelope. He turned it over and looked at the sender's adress. When he recognized it, his eyes started to shine. "Oh cool." The teen cleaned his knife with a napkin and used it to slit open the envelope.

Miguel looked on curiously. "Who wrote you?"

O'Neill gave Ortiz a critical look. "Have you never heard of privacy before?"

Lucas just waved his hand. "It's okay. The letter is from a computer company. I sent them a computer game I developed. They wanted to test it and decide whether or not they'd be interested in marketing it." As the teenager read the letter, his face looked happier and happier.

Ben lifted his eyebrows questioningly. "And? Are they interested?"

Their youngest crew member nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, they want to buy it! They even sent a check along with the letter!" Lucas set the letter down next to his plate and picked up the envelope. Carefully, he pulled the check out. When he saw the amount of money written on it he, breathed in slowly.

Tim O'Neill took this as a bad sign. "I'm sure that you can ask for more money. And if not, you could still go to another computer company. Nobody would blame you for that."

Lucas shook his head, his blue eyes still focused on the check. "It's twice as much as I wanted," he said, his voice shaking.

Now everyone was speechless.

After a few seconds, Ben was able to calm himself down. "Wow!" Then his smile stretched over his entire face. "Do you know what that means?"

Lucas nodded. "That I don't need my father's money anymore and that I'm a rich kid."

Krieg shook his head. "Okay that too, but I meant something else."

The computer genius looked questioningly at the moral officer. "So, what does it mean then?"

Ben grinned. "That you're buying the first round on the next shoreleave!"

At his comment, he got an answering kick on the shin from O'Neill.

* * *

The next day, Benjamin Krieg hurried to Lucas's cabin. He should have been there 10 minutes ago because he and Lucas were supposed to go to the mess together to discuss a few things. 

Inwardly, Krieg was upset about his lateness. He had already made the boy wait for him several times in the past, and one time he had even forgotten.

He was sure that he would get lengthy speech from Lucas about not being there on time. His only hope was that the teen had lost himself in one of his computer programs and had also forgotten about the time.

Stopping in front of the cabin door, Ben took a deep breath and then knocked.

Krieg waited for a few minutes, and when he didn't get an answer, he knocked again. Again, no answer. Had the kid left without him?

The moral officer opened the door and stepped into the cabin, but what he saw there made him freeze. The cabin looked like a tornado had hit it. The teenager's belongings were haphazardly thrown around the cabin; it looked like somebody had been looking for something.

Only on his second look around the room did Ben spot Lucas. The teenager was lying motionless on the floor next to the chair that had been knocked over.

Ben rushed immediately to his young friend and knelt down next to his head. "Lucas? Lucas, please say something!" But the boy's eyes remained closed.

Blood was running down the teen's left temple. With shaking fingers, the lieutenant reached for his Pal, letting out a relieved breath when he found it. The teenager seemed to be breathing normally; at least he could see Lucas's chest moving up and down.

Krieg spoke into his Pal. "Lt. Krieg here. I need a med-team in Lucas's cabin now. And notify Captain Bridger and Chief Crocker. I think Lucas has been attacked."

* * *

To Be Continuied….. 

Written Summer 2004 – Translated Summer 2005

* * *

OH MY GOD! I'm so exited! I just got a email from google that said that the first sesaon of seaQuest will be put on DVD. This is so great:-) 


	3. Chapter 3

YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW

Chapter 3

By Kiddo

Disclaimer:

I have no rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV," and I am not making any money with this story.

A spezial „Thank You" goes to my wonderfull beta-reader Jackie and to Forgottengargoyle, Lynnp, wolenczak 2004, KatKnits00, Delphinius, Jessica, dolphinology, Roses, Blue Eyed Dragon Girl and JOXER, Angeldickens for the Reviews. You made my day.

Forgottengargoyle: Thank you soooo much for you kind and wonderful words.

Lynnp: Thanks! I also liked the hair coulor part ;-),too bad that there aren't any pictures of Ben ;-) If I remember right I only wrote two stories which played in the second season and one in the third season. Personally I like the season one characters the best so I write in this season.

wolenczak2004: Thanks! Yep, I just had to do a little cliffhanger.

KatKnits00: Thanks! I also think that Seamon Peterson is absolitely right. Interesting thoughts that you have at the end.

Delphinius: Thanks! Yes, there is really an information on the internet that says that „seaQuest DSV" will come out on DVD. But the last news from Universal Studio say that it will not happen so soon. Unfortunatelly I can't post the link where I have the information from.

Jessica: Thanks! I hope the waiting wasn't too long.

dolphinology: Thanks! I can promise you that Ben didn't wrote the letter.

Roses: Thanks! I hope the update is soon enough.

Blue Eyed Dragon Girl: Thanks for your long Review. I see that you thought about the chapter. Here is the update.

JOXER: Thanks fort he long review! Of course I wrote a cliffhanger, where would be the fun if I wouldn't do this?

Angeldickens: Thanks! Here is the next chapter…

* * *

A short time later, Captain Bridger and Lt. Krieg were pacing in the waiting room outside medbay. Neither of them said a word, each lost in his owns thoughts. 

In the meantime, Dr. Westphalen was taking care of the unconscious teenager, and Chief Crocker was checking over Lucas's cabin. Everybody was convinced that their youngest crew member had been attacked. But what had really happened, only Lucas could tell them when he woke up.

Bridger and Krieg both jumped when Dr. Westphalen stepped out of medbay and walked towards them.

"How is he? What's his condition? Has he woken up?" asked Nathan immediately. His worry about the young computer genius was written clearly on his face.

Kristin smiled calmly at the captain. "First things first, Nathan. Lucas has taken a heavy blow to the head. He will have a headache for the next few days. I stitched the wound on his temple and covered it so that no dirt will get in the wound." The doctor paused briefly so that both men could take in the new information. "And to answer your last question, no he hasn't woken up yet. But I'm sure that he will very shortly."

"But otherwise he is okay?" asked the supply officer.

Kristin nodded. "Yes. He has been unbelievably lucky. There is no swelling in the brain or anything like that. He just has a concussion and the wound on his temple."

Bridger swallowed; the red-haired woman was right. It could have been much worse... No, he could't think about that. "Can I go see him?"

Westphalen nodded, smiling warmly. "Of course, but at the moment I can only let one of you see him."

Krieg nodded. "Don't worry about me, Captain. Go to him." Ben knew how much Lucas meant to the captain, and vice versa, and he had no problems stepping back. Krieg knew how good it was for his young friend to have an adult who cared about him.

"Thanks. Could you please arrange for the senior crew to meet me in one hour in the wardroom? If anyone's looking for me, I'll be with Lucas."

Ben nodded. "Of coure, that goes without saying."

* * *

About an hour later, the captain reported to the senior crew what Dr. Westphalen had told him. "And at last, I have good news for you. Lucas has woken up." 

Relieved breaths could be heard around the room. Nobody had been left in the dark about what had happened to their youngest crew member.

"Has he said anything? Could he identify his attacker?" asked Commander Ford.

Bridger shook his head. "Unfortunately not. The only thing he could tell me was that he heard a noise behind him, and at the moment he turned around to look, he felt something heavy hitting his head. Apart from that, he can't remember anything."

Ben Krieg buried his face in his hands for a moment, then ran his hands through his hair before he leaned back in his chair. "This is all my fault. If I had been there on time, this wouldn't have happened."

"You can't know that Ben. Who knows how long Lucas was like that before you got there?" Katherine Hitchcock tried to calm her ex-husband down.

"But at least I would have found him earlier."

Bridger shook his head. "Self recriminations won't help us." Then he looked at Chief Crocker. "Could you find anything?"

Manilow Crocker shook his head. "Unfortunately not. But from the way his cabin looked, I would say that his attacker was looking for something in particular. The other possibility is that somebody wanted to scare Lucas."

Every remained silent for a moment. Then Bridger began to speak again. "Who could have a motive to attack Lucas and go through his things? Any ideas?"

"Maybe the attack wasn't meant for Lucas but for Dr. Wolenczak. Maybe he thought that in hurting Lucas, he could scare his father. We all know that the Wolenczaks have a lot of money," was Jonathon Ford's first thought.

"To tell you the truth, I think that is unlikely. But nevertheless, we should consider all possibilities. And it doesn't matter how absurd it sounds," said Captain Bridger.

Chief Crocker looked at everone around the room. "Does anyone know if Lucas has had any big arguments or problems with anyone?"

Everyone answered with a shake of the head. Miguel Ortiz looked at Ben. "The only real fight that Lucas has had recently was the one with Ben. And they made their peace weeks ago."

O'Neill suddenly looked up. "I just remembered something. When we were eating lunch yesterday, Lucas got a letter from a computer company. In the envelope, there was also a check for quite a large amount of money. Maybe he was attacked because of that."

Crocker nodded. "That does seems the most logical motive at this point. Who knows about the check?"

"I don't know exactly," said Tim and shrugged his shoulders. "Seaman Peterson brought the letter, but he was already gone when Lucas opened it. Except for me and Lucas, it was only Miguel and Ben at the table. But it's also possible that a few others around us heard what we were talking about. After all, we weren't whispering. And I don't know if Lucas told anyone else about it."

Lt. Cdr. Hitchcock tried to lighten up the situation. "Be careful, Ben, you're slowly becoming the main suspect."

The supply officer flashed an angry look at Katherine. "That's not funny! Can you hear anybody laughing? Or do you really think that I could do such a thing to Lucas?"

Hitchcock looked down. "Sorry, Ben, I didn't mean it."

Captain Bridger was lost in thought and ignored the bickering. "Everything about the check seems to fit. You can cash it in from any computer; you just scan it with a normal scanner and confirm it with a code. Not a very safe system."

The next half an hour was spent theorizing about different motives. Finally they decided to follow the trail of the check.

* * *

Three hours later, Lt. Krieg was sitting next to Lucas's bed in medbay, talking about different things. 

Meanwhile, the security team and a few others assisting in the investigation had found out that the check really had disappeared from Lucas's cabin, so everyone was following the trail.

Two and a half hours before, Ben had also tried to help with the inquiries, but had then decided to keep the teenager company and make sure that the boy wouldn't be attacked again.

The computer genius was telling Ben the details of the computer game he developed when Captain Bridger, Chief Crocker, and two members of the security team entered medbay with grim faces.

Lucas looked questioningly at the little group. "Anything new?"

Nathan gave a short nod as sign for Crocker.

The chief turned to his two team members. "Place him under arrest."

Before Krieg could react in any way, he was violently pulled up from the chair and a pair of handcuffs were placed around his wrists. "Whoa! What is going on here?"

Chief Crocker stood up to his full height in front of the moral officer. "You're under arrest, charged with theft and assault on a minor!"

Lucas now sat up in his bed, his gaze moving from one person to the other. "Are you pulling my leg?"

Krieg looked confusedly at the captain and the chief. "What is going on here? I haven't done anything! I would never attack Lucas or steal anything from him!"

Bridger looked sadly at the lieutenant. "There is no sense in denying it; we found the check in your cabin."

Ben's eyes were getting bigger and bigger. "You what? That's not possible! I'm innocent!"

He turned to the teen in despair. "Lucas, you have to believe me, I didn't do anything to you!"

Nathan's impatience was growing slowly. When it came to Lucas, nobody played games with him. "Don't make this worse than it already is, and leave Lucas alone. You have already done enough!"

Ben tried to pull away from the muscular security men, but he had no chance against them. "I swear to you that I didn't do it! Why don't you believe me?"

"I always knew that you didn't belong in the UEO," said Manilow and with a shake of his head.

"I'm innocent! Someone must have put it in my cabin." Krieg's voice was sounding more and more desperate.

Crocker nodded at his two security officers."Take him away!"

But before they could start to move, Lucas sprang out of his bed. Nathan saw that the boy was staggering and had problems standing up straight, so he grabbed him under the arm to support him. The blood loss, the concussion, and now this was taking its toll on the teen. "You can't do that, he's innocent. I would lay my hand in the fire for Ben!"

Crocker felt pity for their youngest crew member. "Then you have just burned yourself, my boy."

The blond teenager looked pleadingly at the captain and the chief. "Please, just give me a computer, and I'm sure that I can prove that Ben's innocent. If the true perpetrator has already cashed the check, then I'm sure that I can trace it. Something like that always leaves a trail. It won't take more than 10 minutes for me."

Nathan Bridger looked at Lucas for a moment. The boy had earned his chance. But not to prove Krieg's innocence, just to see for himself that Ben was the perpetrator. Otherwise, the genius would probably never believe it. "Okay, there will be a meeting with the senior crew in the wardroom in half an hour, and then you can try your luck with the computer." He looked at his security chief. "What are you waiting for? Take him to the brig."

Before the security team disappeared with the moral officer, Lucas tried to give his friend an encouraging smile. "Don't worry, Ben, I'm sure that everything will be cleared up."

Ben sighed. It was easy for Lucas to say; he wasn't the one who was being taken away in handcuffs, accused of a major crime.

Bridger looked closely at the boy. He could feel that Lucas was shaking slightly. Maybe the meeting in the wardroom would be too much for the boy. "Is everything okay?"

Lucas looked disbelievingly at the older man. Did he really mean that question seriously?

* * *

To Be Continuied….. 

Written Summer 2004 – Translated Summer 2005


	4. Chapter 4

YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW

Chapter 4

By Kiddo

Disclaimer:

I have no rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV," and I am not making any money with this story.

A spezial „Thank You" goes to my wonderfull beta-reader Jackie and to Lynnp, Forgottengargoyle, dolphinology, KatKnits00, Blue Eyed Dragon Girl, JOXER, kokomocalifornia and Simon for the Reviews.

Lynnp: Thanks! It's always great to have people on the edge of their seat.

Forgottengargoyle: Thanks for you kind words. You made me turn really red. And I see it as a big compliment that you want to learn german ;-). I don't write original fiction, just seaQuest fanfiction. And therefore the only thing that is puplished of me in hardcover is a critic/review that I wrote about a book.

dolphinology: Thanks! Good to hear that you like the twist.

KatKnits00: Thanks!

Blue Eyed Dragon Girl: Thanks! It's always sad when a friebdship suffers. Hope this is soon enough.

JOXER: Thanks! I expected somthing like that from you, I know that you are a big Ben fan. But like you said yourself, this is fiction, so everything is possible!

kokomocalifornia: Thanks! Yeah, who would want to hurt Lucas? (Besides all the ELF's out there ;-))

Simon: Thanks! You don't need to be sorry. Because I have no problem with what you say about this chapter. Read this and you will see why Bridger acted that way. And you are absolutly right about the waking up part. And if this was one of my normal storys, I would have written how Lucas woke up, how Bridger babied him, how Lucas told what happened to him and everything else. But this is not one of my normal stories! Just read and see…

* * *

When Ben Krieg was led in the wardroom by Chief Crocker and two security officers, everybody except the captain and Lucas were already sitting around the table. The supply officer had been in the brig for the last half an hour. Now the rest of the senior crew were throwing reproachful looks at the lieutenant.

It looked like everyone of them was convinced of his guilt. Crocker pulled out a chair, and Ben sat down on it. Krieg felt like everyone was treating him as the lowest criminal.

The door to the wardroom opened again, and Bridger and Lucas stepped in. The computer genius was wearing a black shirt with a white baseball shirt over it and a pair of jeans. He looked even paler than before. When the teenager spotted Ben, he tried to give him a smile.

The moral officer smiled back. At least one peson was still on his side.

Bridger sat down next to Lucas and got right to the point. "We all know why we are here, so let's get started immediately." Then he gave Commander Ford a nod.

The commander stood up and gave Lucas his computer, which he had had retrieved from the teenager's cabin specifically for this meeting. "There you go."

"Thanks!" The genius opened the computer, but before he started to work on it, he looked at every person in the room. "I can't believe that you all think so poorly of Ben. If he says that he didn't do this, then it's true!"

Heavy silence hung in the air. Nobody wanted to respond. The blond teen looked away from everyone and started to type on his computer, his gaze focused on the screen.

Four minutes later, his facial features started to relax.

The others caught this reaction. "Have you found anything?" Miguel was the first to react.

Lucas made a cutting motion with his hand in Ortiz's direction. "Shhhh! I'm nearly there."

About 10 seconds later, the teenager stopped abruptly. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. This couldn't be true! Lucas now looked up from the screen in shock. His eyes were full of pain when he looked at Ben.

"What did you find?" asked Bridger sympathetically, but he already knew what the answer would be. One look at the teen's face told him everything.

Lucas's eyes were still on Lt. Krieg. "It was Ben. He was the one who took the check and put the money into a hidden account." The teen bit down on his lip to stop himself from screaming.

The supply officer shook his head emphatically. "Lucas, no, I didn't do anything. Someone else must have done that and made it look like it was me. Please, you have to believe me!" From now on, Ben didn't care what the others thought of him, but losing Lucas's trust really hurt. Utter desperation was rising in him.

The blond teenager ran a hand through his hair and leaned back in his chair. "I can't believe this. I called the others liars just because I believed you. How could I be so stupid?" Unshed tears were glistening in his eyes. "And I looked up to you. You were like a big brother to me! How could I fall for it?"

The senior crew of the seaQuest looked accusingly at the supply officer. Katherine Hitchcock bowed her head; she couldn't look her ex-husband in the face.

"You know what this means for you, Lieutenant?" asked Crocker.

Of course Ben knew. "For the thousandth time, I haven't done anything!"

Lucas looked up at him. "Don't make this worse. I can see it on the screen, in black and white. Denying it won't help you."

Krieg shook his head. "Have you all gone nuts? I'm not denying anything. Your computer isn't telling the truth. Someone must have faked this information."

For one moment, the teenager was speechless. Slowly his face became red from anger. "Ben, I've been hacking into secure databanks since I was 9 years old. I know what I'm doing, and I can recognize when something is faked! And this computer is telling the truth!"

The lieutenant closed his eyes for a moment. "Then this time you don't know what you are doing, or you can't read the information right!"

"Are you saying that I'm lying?" Again, the tears were coming dangerously close to falling. "Great, and I thought that you were my friend." His voice was shaking.

Bridger stood up. "I've had enough of you, Lieutenant. Can't you see what you are doing? Do you have to go making everything worse?"

Krieg felt like he was caught up in a living nightmare. "Captain, please you must believe that I'm innocent."

Nathan looked darkly at Krieg. "I mustn't do anything! And I won't let you tell me what I should believe. How dare you!"

"I'm sorry, Captain. I know that I've pulled a lot of pranks in my life, but this time I really have nothing to do with it. I would never hurt one of my best friends intentionally."

Bridger shook his head in disappointment. "A court marshall is now your fate. You will get your just punishment there."

Ben tried again to appeal to Lucas. He looked pleadingly at the teen. "Lucas..."

Before Krieg could even say another word, the computer genius shook his head. "Let it go Ben, just let it go. You have said more than enough." The sadness was audible in his voice.

Katherine now looked up at Ben. "I can't believe that you were capable of doing such a thing. To treat Lucas like this? You should be ashamed of yourself. How could I have ever married someone like you?"

Ben tried to count to 10. How could he convince Lucas and the others that he was innocent when everything seemed to be going against him. "It wasn't me! I haven't done anything! So just believe me at least!" It felt as if the world was coming to an end. Ben had never felt so helpless and low before.

Suddenly, a grin was spreading over Lucas's whole face. "Of course you did it! Or will you deny that you hid my computer chip for days?"

Now Krieg was losing the thread of what was happening. Why was the teen suddenly grinning like the Cheschire Cat, and why was he talking about his stupid computer chip?

Meanwhile, each member of the senior crew, except for Ben of course, was smiling.

"Can you remember the day when I told you that I would get my revenge?" asked the young genius.

Krieg nodded, confused. "Of couse, you put the hair color..."

Lucas cut him off. "Do you really believe that a little hair color in your shampoo was enough? Absolutely not! I needed something much bigger!"

Slowly, the lieutenant began to understand what was going on. The whole thing, everything about the check and the theft had been an act, just so Lucas could get his revenge. "But all the blood, the cut on your head..."

Carefully the teenager pulled the bandage away from his temple; under it was nothing, no wound or blood or anything at all! "Oh this? Just some harmless stage blood."

Ben looked at everyone in the room; they were all grinning at him. "But that means... that means that everybody else knew about this and that the whole crew was pretending." The moral officer didn't know if he should laugh, start screaming, or cry for relief.

Tim O'Neill nodded, confirming what had been going on. "Of course we knew about everything. Lucas couldn't pull this off alone."

Miguel smiled. "And besides, you needed a lesson."

Krieg was still shaking his head in disbelief. "How could you do that to me? I really thought I was going to be court marshalled."

Lucas was still grinning. "A wise man once imparted a few special words to me, and now I will pass them on to you: You really shouldn't take everything so seriously, you know. After all, you only live once and should try to laugh at as much as you can!"

**THE END**

Written Summer 2004 – Translated Summer 2005

* * *

Information:

The author (that would be me ;-) ) wants to point out that she will not be held responsible for any damage arising from readers imitating the events of this story. The scenes have been acted out by professional fictional characters and, therefore, should not be attempted by amateurs.

So hands off the shampoo and hair color. ;-)


End file.
